Nutrition Myths and Facts

There are a lot of nutritional myths, which negatively impact our life

1. Myth: Sugar Causes Diabetes

The most common nutrition myth is probably that sugar causes diabetes. If
you have diabetes, you do need to watch your sugar and carbohydrate
intake, with the help of your Registered Dietitian, to properly manage your
blood sugar level. However, if you do not have diabetes, sugar intake will
not cause you to develop the disease. The main risk factors for Type 2
diabetes are a diet high in calories, being overweight, and an inactive
lifestyle.

2. Myth: All Fats are bad

it is a long-held nutrition myth that all fats are bad. But the fact is, we
should eat variety of fat in moderation. Fats aid nutrient absorption and
nerve transmission, and they help to maintain cell membrane integrity.
However, when consumed in excessive amounts, fats contribute to weight
gain, heart disease and certain types of cancers.

Not all fats are created equal. Some fats can actually help promote good
health, while others increase the risk for heart disease. The key is to replace
bad fats (saturated fats and trans fats) with good fats (monounsaturated
fats and polyunsaturated fats).

3. Myth: Avoid carbohydrate to lose weight

This is just another nutrition myth. Many low-carb diets actually do not
provide sufficient carbohydrates to your body for daily maintenance.
Therefore your body will begin to burn stored carbohydrates (glycogen) for
energy. When your body starts burning glycogen, water is released.
Therefore the drastic initial drop of weight at the beginning of a low-carb
diet is mostly the water that you lose as a result of burning glycogen.
 Choose diet high in whole grain, it prevents you from constipation and can
lower the risk of blood cholesterol level and cardiovascular diseases.

4. Myth: Skipping meals can help lose weight

This is again a nutritional myth, many people think that by skipping a meal,
they will be eating less food and therefore lose weight. People who think
skipping meals means weight loss do not understand how our bodies work.

If you skip a meal, your body will think that you are in starvation mode and
therefore slow down the metabolism to compensate. You then tend to
overeat at the next meal. Often, skipping a meal and then eating too much
at the next one means that you have a higher total caloric intake than if you
just ate more frequently throughout the day. A better approach is to eat
smaller frequent healthy meals and snacks to keep your blood sugar
balanced.

5. Myth: Mega doses of Vitamin C helps to cure colds

High doses of vitamin C might lessen symptoms but risks outweigh benefits.
Mega dose of vitamin C can cause diarrhea and can result in scurvy when
stopped.
It is a water soluble vitamin and excreted in urine if taken in excess
quantity.